The State Of Belief By cover art

The State Of Belief

By: Interfaith Alliance
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  • Summary

  • Every week, Rev. Paul Brandeis Raushenbush hosts lively, funny and poignant conversations with inspiring religious and civic leaders; as well as artists and activists from across the country. Listeners get a potent mix of spiritual wisdom, political strategy, and hopeful commentary from national and local leaders who are rising up to meet this urgent moment in America. With the tagline: “Where Religion and Democracy Meet,” State of Belief is a celebration of our nation’s diversities and an invitation to join together to, in the words of the great James Baldwin, "achieve our country.”
    © 2023
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Episodes
  • Life After Doom With Brian McLaren

    Life After Doom With Brian McLaren
    May 11 2024
    It's possible to lean into hope to such a degree that responsibility for action can seem either unneeded or futile. That's just one of the important observations this week's guest, Brian McLaren, makes to host Rev. Paul Brandeis Raushenbush on The State of Belief, Interfaith Alliance's weekly radio program and podcast. Brian's latest book is Life After Doom: Wisdom and Courage for a World Falling Apart. In an age of truly global crises such as climate change, Brian critiques religious attitudes that dismiss present-world concerns in favor of the afterlife, arguing that this mindset contributes to environmental neglect and social injustices. "Hope is a great psychological benefit. But like any good thing, it can become pathological, it can become unhelpful. And, when we face our current situation in all its complexity, I think what we need is a different kind of hope, a deeper hope." -Brian McLaren, author, speaker, activist, and public theologian. Paul also welcomes Interfaith Alliance Senior Director of Field and Organizing Maureen O'Leary and Pride Peacebuilders co-founder Frankie Leigh to discuss this year's Faith for Pride initiative, which focuses on safety for attendees and tracking incidents of threats and violence, as well as expert training on conflict de-escalation. "All of the times that I have successfully de-escalated someone who is angry or agitated has been because I've been willing to listen to them." -Frankie Leigh, Pride Peacebuilders co-founder and Utah Tech University instructor
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    1 hr and 9 mins
  • Democracy & Religious Freedom: The Next Generation

    Democracy & Religious Freedom: The Next Generation
    May 4 2024
    "You can't wring your hands and roll up your sleeves at the same time." With that powerful quote from former US Rep. Pat Schroeder, host Rev. Paul Brandeis Raushenbush teed up an in-depth look at strategies for protecting the vote and religious freedom for all, as well as an introduction to a series of inclusive conversations around LGBTQI+ lives in Texas, The State of Belief, Interfaith Alliance’s weekly radio show and podcast, this week. Paul's with Adam Friedman, Interfaith Alliance organizing and elections strategist, getting into opportunities for all Americans to actively participate in safeguarding the election, from volunteering at polling sites to engaging in educational initiatives against Christian nationalism. The conversation also delves into the importance of supporting LGBTQ inclusion, reproductive freedom, and combating censorship in education. Adam and Paul call on individuals of all faiths and beliefs to use their voices, offering hope and actionable steps through resources from Interfaith Alliance like an election year issue primer and a Speakers Bureau program. The episode is a rallying cry for unity and action in a time of significant challenges to democratic values. “As a young person right now, there's certainly fear; but I think it is really important to recognize this message of hope more broadly. We see the polarization; people feel the stakes of the moment. And, ultimately, it's important to remember that people across the country feel the stakes, right? Even by acknowledging the statistic that folks are worried for our democracy asserts that while it's divided by politics, people care about our democracy. People want to live in a country where they feel like their voice is heard. And by holding that, we can acknowledge our shared humanity and the common place in which we are coming from, even if we might disagree on the issues that divide us.” -Adam Friedman, advocate and organizer, and a member of the Interfaith Alliance staff, serving as their organizing and elections strategist. Paul also welcomes Aubin Peterson, co-founder of Another Story, about how faith has informed her LGBTQ advocacy. “You know, someone's got to speak up, and call it courage or stupidity, it is me. I wear the cloak proudly, whatever it is. But if not me, who is it going to be? And hopefully, you encourage others to do the same. But when I see the kids, around our church or in the community or at Baylor [University], I'm there for them.” -Aubin Peterson, co-founder, with her husband Mark, of Another Story, a monthly gathering in the Dallas area that creates a space for dialogue on sexual orientation and gender identity, where traditional biblical perspectives on these issues can be questioned and discussed.
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    58 mins
  • Jim Wallis: False White Gospel

    Jim Wallis: False White Gospel
    Apr 27 2024
    The U.S. is now barely six months away from the 2024 election, and division and extremism seem to be at an all-time high. Race and religion play roles in much of the rhetoric surrounding the coming vote, and whether it’s imposing religion into public schools, dismantling reproductive freedom, or rolling back voting rights, Christian nationalists are stripping away freedoms at every turn. This week on The State of Belief, Interfaith Alliance’s weekly radio show and podcast, Rev. Paul Brandeis Raushenbush is joined by activist and theologian Jim Wallis to discuss the importance of using faith as a guide for seeking truth, and the promise of a multiracial democracy. "We could become the first genuine multiracial democracy in the world. It's a wonderful opportunity we have, but it will be answering this question, the one you raised: who is my neighbor? It will be treating people who are different than me as my neighbor. And the title of that chapter is: "Your Neighbor Probably Doesn't Live in Your Neighborhood. "So how do we reach out to those who are different than us, treat them like a neighbor? And that's exactly what Jesus did in this wonderful Good Samaritan parable. So the Good Samaritan could help lead us to a multiracial democracy.” -Jim Wallis, theologian, writer, teacher, political activist, and the founder of Sojourners Community and Magazine. Today he chairs the Georgetown University Center for Faith and Justice and the inaugural Archbishop Desmond Tutu Chair in Faith and Justice at Georgetown’s McCourt School of Public Policy. His latest book is titled, The False White Gospel: Rejecting Christian Nationalism, Reclaiming True Faith, and Refounding Democracy.
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    53 mins
Politics & Government Spirituality
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